Boston Islands – What to see and do!

Now that you’ve seen what to do and eat in Boston, how about we venture into the water? Did you know there are islands situated among Boston Harbour? They are called the Boston Harbour Islands and are mainly around for public recreation (and some are home to wildlife). They are all different sizes and feature various attractions including beaches, hiking, lighthouses, forts and more. Unfortunately the season is almost up but hopefully this will get you inspired for next year as they are a really beautiful place to visit and spend a day or weekend.

The best way to get around them is by boat. Boston Harbor Cruises offers different routes and all for a pretty reasonable price. Depending on what you want to do you could spend all day on one island, do some hopping, bring a tent and camp for the weekend – endless possibilities haha. The boats themselves are nothing special as most journeys take about an hour or two, but there are snacks and places to sit and watch the scenery.

On this day I hit up two islands with my sister and the first was Georges Island. It’s probably the most popular of all the islands and super easy to access. This is because it houses Fort Warren (active during WWI and then turned into a prison). There are also various different art pieces, a cafe, green lawns and beach times! Below you can see some photos of the fort, some nifty art pieces and kooky sculptures. We could’ve easily spent hours just lounging about (I’d recommend bringing a book or playing cards), but we wanted to check out another island so hopped on the next boat and off we went.

Spectacle Island was our other choice and it’s located between downtown Boston and Georges. It has a pretty interesting and gross history. Originally it was shaped like a pair of glasses (note the name spectacle) and housed two hotels which people would visit due to the remoteness and privacy. They however got closed due to gambling and illicit activities and then the island turned into a trash/dumping ground. After a few years they started covering it in dirt, planted some trees and by 2006 it opened as a public recreation area. It now has a cafe, marina, trails and lifeguarded swimming beach. Due to the trash still being under the soil and floating in the water, there is a lot of sea glass on the island. Many of the beaches feature pieces of plates, cups and knick knacks. It’s very beautiful to take photos of (just make sure you don’t get cut).

Now summer is ending I’m not sure how practical it is to get on a boat and roam around the beach (plus I think the ferries stop running during the winter) but maybe it’s something to consider for a nice spring break in 2016? Either way Boston has a lot to offer and if you missed out on my previous posts they can be found here!